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"[Inspector Parker] awoke, after a long day of arduous and inconclusive labour, to the smell of burnt porridge. Through his bedroom window, hygienically open top and bottom, a raw fog was rolling slowly in, and the sight of a pair of winter pants, flung hastily over a chair the previous night, fretted him with a sense of the sordid absurdity of the human form. The telephone bell rang, and he crawled wretchedly out of bed and into the sitting-room, where Mrs. Munns, who did for him by the day, was laying the table, sneezing as she went." -From Whose Body, a Lord Peter mystery by Dorothy L. Sayers

While wedged behind my washer and dryer the other day, disconnecting that spaceman arm thingy (you know that spaceman arm thingy that connects the dryer to the wall?) and the water tubes, I found myself contemplating the absurdity of the human form. I really did look very silly. The only way I could get back there was to invert myself and stick one leg into the air.

First, a couple links: a recent beautiful Astronomy Picture of the Day; and, if you happen to be a Battlestar Galactica fan, a recent segment from NPR's Weekend Edition all about the music of BSG. (Ahem. But please don't leave any Season 4 spoilers in the comments, because I'm only partway through the season. ^_^)

Second, I give notice: my blogging is apt to be spotty over the next few weeks as my move takes place. Monday the guy with the big truck comes to pick up the stuff. What happens next -- and when -- depends entirely on the schedule of the guy in the truck. We're rolling with it, people. Uncertainty is FUN! Sigh...

Third, a recent interesting FAQ:

You've mentioned that an adult edition of Graceling is available in the U.K., Australia, and the Netherlands, and is scheduled to be published in France. Is there an adult version of Graceling available in North America?

The "adult" British edition of Graceling and the "young adult" American…

So, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you may know that I'm somewhat attached to my car. And why wouldn't I be? Everyone knows that the perfect car is a car in which the brake lights never, ever turn off so you have to pull out a fuse every time you park, or else when you get back with your groceries or your library books, your battery will be dead. And then you have to stick the fuse back in and drive home with your brake lights on the entire time even when moving at full speed. EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS THE SIGN OF A PERFECT CAR.

However... *sniff*....

However.... (*SNIFF*).... I am moving from Florida to Massachusetts, and I don't need a car in Massachusetts, plus I don't think my car would make it all the way to Massachusetts but don't tell my car I said that.

Today, I'm donating my car to NPR. NPR will cannibalize my car for parts, because that's what people do when someone donates something that doesn't work unless you know the comp…

So, in my neighborhood, there's a train track and a road that both curve in such a way that they cross each other twice. Here, I'll draw a picture of it to show you what I mean (that's the track on top, the road on the bottom):

Now, I ask you to consider, for a moment, the implications of this. Imagine: you're driving peacefully southeast along the road, la la la. As you approach the train tracks, lights start flashing and bells start ringing, the gate comes down, and you stop your car. A VERY SLOW AND VERY LONG train crosses the road from right to left. Fifteen minutes later, the caboose finally makes its appearance, the lights stop flashing, the bells stop ringing, the gate comes up, and you continue along on your merry way... and then, a few minutes later, what happens? You guessed it. Lights start flashing, bells start ringing, the gate comes down, and THE VERY SAME, VERY SLOW AND VERY LONG TRAIN crosses your road AGAIN. And this time, not only is it stupid,…

The other day, the FedEx man brought me Die Beschenkte -- i.e., the German edition of Graceling. Guys, Carlsen makes gorgeous books. It's 500 thick, beautiful pages long; the design (interior and exterior) is simply lovely; and IT HAS A BURGUNDY RIBBON BOOKMARK. Even better, it arrived in a Die Beschenkte messenger bag!

*flops*

Die Beschenkte will be released in the fall.

In other news:I'm happy to report that the Hachette Group (my French publisher) is launching a new fantasy/SF imprint through their publisher Calmann Lévy, called Orbit France. (If your eyes glazed over trying to follow that, don't worry, it doesn't matter.) Orbit will be publishing an adult edition of Graceling as one of their first books. (The YA edition has already been released in France. The Orbit edition will be released in the fall.)The Full Cast Audio audiobook of Graceling is completed and is about to be released. Here are a couple of cool YouTube links: one gives an inside look into how…

What I'm Reading(Books)Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, September.) No spoilers here; I'm not going to say a damn thing about what happens in the book. Instead, I'll merely say that books like this are the reason I fell in love with reading. I stayed up until 5:30am reading it; it was thrilling; it was heartrending; it was wickedly funny; it was important. I care about these characters with all my heart. And, Ms. Collins? I bet you're already getting pressure from readers for the third book. From me, you get no pressure. From me, you get this instead: Take a break to celebrate what you've accomplished. And take as much time as the next book needs. I know it'll be worth waiting for.

What I'm Reading (Blogs)I mentioned recently that there are only a few blogs I follow. Well, Laura's recent post at Pinot and Prose sums up why her blog is one of them. Laura is a librarian and amateur chef in Queens who blogs about children's literat…

Do you read online reviews / buzz about your own books?Honestly? No. Since announcing my intentions to quit last August, I have not googled myself or my books, and I do not get google alerts. I do not read reviews on Amazon or other book sites. If someone emails me or comments on my blog with a link to anything concerning my books, I almost never follow the link. It's not that I don't appreciate that people are writing reviews and spreading buzz -- I'm hugely grateful, because online dialog brings readers to my books. And I think it's very nice of people to drop me a line and let me know. But I don't involve myself. I've learned it's better for my writing process, my sanity, and my happiness to avoid it. (Besides, I get a ton of feedback without looking for it -- my friends and publishers are on the ball and keep me informed of what people are saying -- so I generally have a sense of what's going on out there without seeking it out myself.)

Maybe it'll help if I share some of the goodness with you:I got to spend a quiet minute with Suzanne Collins. I treasure that minute. She is definitely a kindred spirit.I had a lovely time answering questions and signing books at Books of Wonder with Melissa Marr. I was running on empty by that point, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. Melissa is a cool cookie. She gave me swag to throw at the lovely people in the audience, which was nice, because I hadn't brought anything of my own to throw at lovely people.A person in the Penguin booth handed me a Fire ARC for a photo op, then forgot to ask for it back. Naturally, I slipped it into my bag and sneaked away with it. (Authors don't get a lot of their own ARCs, so I've developed a klepto habit. Which is apparently not working, because here in my stash I seem to have a grand total of... *counts* ... ONE? Wait, I could have sworn I had at least two. Ha…

Kristin Cashore wrote the New York Times bestsellers Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue, and Jane, Unlimited. Graceling is the winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and Fire is the winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. The books are world travelers, currently scheduled to be published in thirty-four languages.

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"Then, at last, sitting on her stretcher-bed, she took from the very bottom of her pack an old peacock-blue scarf folded around a heavy, square book. She unwrapped it and opened it very carefully, as if guilty secrets might fall from between its pages like pressed flowers. This was Harry's secret. She was a writer."

-from The Tricksters, by Margaret Mahy

Writing is my secret. Every day I unwrap and open it as carefully as I can. Welcome to my blog about writing and life! Above you'll find quick links about me and my books, and below is more about me, ways to subscribe, and an archive of past posts. Click here to go home to my most recent posts.

Finally, a note: This blog is my only online presence. I am not on Facebook, Google+, or any other social media sites, and I use Twitter mainly as an amalgamation feed for my blog. Sorry, but I do not read @-replies on Twitter!